Cap And Ball Revolvers For Personal Protection?

Give me a lemat,

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There's one I hadn't considered, but I think the idea his to shoot so the intruder doesn't hear the first shot. I'd bet that a load of 0 or #1 buckshot outta that smoothbore would drop him in a hurry.

Don't forget today's criminals grew up watching TV; so they know that guns never run out of ammo. :crackup:

The Jurey may think old west but when the DA get's done with them they will think cruel evil premediteted and just waiting for the opertunity to shoot and cropple poor little johnny crack head.I have read some pretty scarey accounts of this kind of thing happening.I have also been taken into custidy and taken down town for questioning for useing a knife in a self defence situation.The only reason I wasent charged with agravated assult was because My neighbore told the cops and DA's office that the turd I butcherd was a punk.The guy was even shot breaking into another family's house in the past.That sed I guess I would use the .one of the .44 cal wheel guns.But I am totly happy with the remington 870 with light trap loads in it.At house ranges they will cut a bad guy in half and they wont shoot threw mu mobile home or your avrage house wall.Also all that6 smoke from them would make it harde for a follow up shot.After my little incedent I was told by a police man and a ccw instructor that if you shoot a bad guy to kill the bad guy or the scum bag will be able to sue you.

yeah, but i heard his family can sue you, doesnt sound fair does it?

Nope.It is silly.Heck would the typ of gun even matter relly ? I mean in the end it would be your word agenst Johnny crack head's.

Pscyhological tests have been done over the years. And a few un surprising things were discovered:
-people associate size of the weapon with how powerful the weapon is,

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Let old Gabby tell you a true tale. I was running a coal mine back in the early '80, and the United Mine Workers went on strike.

They don't picket their own mines as much as they picketed non-union mines -- the idea is to shut down the electric plants or something. My company

i've been on the wrong end of a pistol. i think it was a .357. i'm not sure because it looked at least 6" in diameter. it was like lookin' down a sewer pipe. thank god the man didn't shoot me. i shut up and got religion real quick. off topic, i know.

I've read that Wild Bill reloaded his pistols every morning just to be sure the powder would be fresh. To that I ask, how long would you be able to keep a bp pistol loaded, in your home, for self defense? :hmm:

Dear Mr.Billy Bones,I have run what I refer to as "reliability tests".I kept an 1860 Army fully loaded and capped for one year.It was kept in my gun safe{temp. controlled}, brought out into the air conditioned house then taken for a drive in my truck during the summer.I did this to see if condensation would affect reliability.I again did the same in the winter, taking the revolver out in the cold then bringing it back into the warm house.At the one year anniversary I took the weapon into my back yard, set my target against the berm and fired the gun.All six chambers did fire w/ no hesitation.I am perfectly convinced that if one is proper in the loading,removing oils from the cones,ect.,the weapon is fine for at the least a year.I practice w/ my 2rd model dragoon weekly keeping my 3rd model fully charged for home defense.Best regards,J.A.

I've read that Wild Bill reloaded his pistols every morning just to be sure the powder would be fresh. To that I ask, how long would you be able to keep a bp pistol loaded, in your home, for self defense? :hmm:

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It depends, a full day & night out in a humid area could probably corrupt the powder & make it misfire. Whereas a week in a 0% humidity area would probably do nothing. :imo:

I have a 1858 44 rem copybut I would only grab that after i used up my 75 round drum ak 47 and expelled all 10 30 round magazines and i can always saw the barrel off the 4 bore black powder rifle im making a make a blanket pistol with 4 ounces 00buck ontop of 450 grains black powder. I love black powder but for defense when its my life sorry im grabbing a hicap assult rifle or a good pump 12 gauge

I have to agree with 3-s-d - there is nothing half so much fun as repelling unwanted boarders with a brace of MP5Ks with a few 60-round turnover mags - or the trusty SPAS-12 loaded with eight+one rounds of buck in an extended mag...

Sure, C&B was good in its day, but how many LEO do you see carrying one these days?

Leave them around where you like, but leave them out of a modern firefight. :m2c:

tac :grey:

Well, unfortunately I live in the city around people so I can't justify heavy artillary use on the local crackhead climbing through my window. I'm quite confidant that after a few .44 soft lead balls in someones person they will be a bit discouraged. Besides, I don't forsee any armored assaults on my apartment anytime soon. :m2c:

I carry an 1858 at times when off duty. Why? Cuz I can, change caps weekely have had no missfires.

To answer the original question, none of the above. I'd use two replica 1861 Navy pistols. First cap & ball pistol I owned was a 1861 Navy. I'd go out every weekend and fire off the current loads, a few more for practice then clean the pistols and charge them up for the next week. I'd get some good practice time and every week have a fresh load in each cylinder. I'd make sure the pistols had a pin between the chambers so I could keep all six loaded. As to what would be best or what would work, it doesn't matter. What ever you think is best, is the best. Anyone can post example after example to "prove" their point. What matters is that you believe in what ever choice you have made. Only when you believe in it will you be able to use it.
:m2c:

Pondoro wrote:
"I heard Wild Bill Hickock kept his two Colts loaded, but that each morning he fired them dry, cleaned them, and reloaded them. Three thoughts:

1) If this is true he always had fresh powder and caps.

2) If he aimed his shots he was getting ten practice rounds per day, more than most lawmen.

3) Once per day, predictably, he was unarmed! Unless he carried a rifle when he was shooting his pistols. "


Wild Bill Hickok unarmed?! Nope - don't think so. According to the autobiography of White-Eye Anderson, a close friend of Hickok, Bill would fire one of his pistols, clean and reload then fire, clean and load the remaining one.

He always had one of his Navy Colts at the ready.

As far as the S&W goes as a life saver, Hickok had one on his person at the time of his death. The Navy Colts were no where to be found. Also of interest, is the fact that while Hickok was in Deadwood for about a month (his last month alive) in the Summer of 1876, he had begun using 51 Navy revolvers converted to metallic cartridge.


For a VERY interesting read, go find the book entitled "I buried Hickok". It is the story of White Eye Anderson and his time in the old west.

Carl